Briefs: UNH's Evans named to East-West Shrine Game

Friday

Jan 4, 2013 at 3:15 AM

DURHAM — University of New Hampshire senior linebacker Matt Evans was selected to participate in the 88th annual East-West Shrine Game, the nation's longest-running all-star college football game, scheduled for Jan. 19 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Opening kickoff is set for 4 p.m., and the game will be televised live on the NFL Network. Since 1925, the East-West Shrine Game has pitted the best college football players from the East and West sides of the United States against one another in an all-star game played to benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Evans led the CAA with 126 total tackles, which ranked 19th in the country, and he tacked on a nation-best 87 solo tackles in his final season as a Wildcat. The senior, who became UNH's all-time tackle leader Nov. 3 in a home win against William & Mary, capped his career with 460 stops and 266 solo tackles; both totals ranked first among all FCS players that were active in 2012.

The UNH co-captain was recognized as a Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America for the third time, becoming just the fourth player — and third from UNH along with Ricky Santos and David Ball — to earn the honor thrice. The 6-foot, 228-pounder was also named an AP All-America, AFCA Coaches' All-America, The Sports Network All-America, Beyond Sports Network All-America Second Team, All-CAA First Team and All-New England Team. College Sports Madness recognized the middle linebacker as its CAA Defensive Player of the Year and as an All-America Second-Team performer. Evans, the 2011 Buck Buchanan Award winner as the national defensive player of the year, closed out the season with six straight double-digit tackle games (seven overall) and led the Wildcats in tackles nine times in 12 games.

Locals named to CHaD team

DURHAM — A number of local football players were named to the rosters for the second annual CHaD NH East-West High School All-Star Football Game.

The game benefits the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD) and features the top graduating football players from across the Granite State in a battle of East vs. West at UNH's Cowell Stadium on June 29.

UNH athletes honored

DURHAM — University of New Hampshire senior offensive lineman Chris Zarkoskie was named to the 15th annual Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team on Thursday. It is the second straight year Zarkoskie has received this award. The three-year starter, played left guard all 12 games this season, compiled a 3.58 cumulative grade point average as a psychology major.

Zarkoskie, UNH's senior co-captain, was previously recognized as a two-time member (2011-12) of the Capital One Academic NCAA Division I Football District I First Team. He earned CAA Academic All-Conference Team honors in 2010 and '11, was nominated for the 2011-12 CAA Football Student-Athlete of the Year award, received the CAA Commissioner's Academic Award in '10 and '11, and he's been named to UNH's Academic Honor Roll every semester he's been a Wildcat, including Highest Honors twice and High Honors three times.

Defender Alexis Crossley of the UNH women's hockey team was named Hockey East Rookie of the Month for December. She recorded four points on a goal and three assists through the four games of the month, all of which were against teams ranked in the top 10 nationally.

Against ninth-ranked Northeastern, the blueliner assisted on a goal in the first game as well as the second game and recorded five shots through the two games. In the final game of the regular-season series against No. 6 Boston College, Crossley tallied UNH's only goal of the game, coming on a power play. She extended her point-streak to four games with an assist against No. 4 Harvard.

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